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-   -   Do SUVs decrease driving fatigue? How? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/109067-do-suvs-decrease-driving-fatigue-how-5.html)

I personally don't think so. Any car having a comfortable well cushioned seat adjustable as per the driver's height will never give fatigue to the driver. A classic example is the Chevy Beat.

This is the exact same question which is on my mind these days... as I plan to buy a new car in coming few months.

first I thought that I would go for a top end diesel vento. then I thought about the top end honda city AT just because of the AT as it would be a boon in city traffic.

then came in the XUV 500! now i have almost made up my mind to go for the XUV as I do travel to mumbai-thane and mumbai-panvel regularly. so I am thinking this would be the best bet as its an SUV but drives almost like a car (according to numerous review) and the higher GC and better suspension should be a boon. but still... sadly no AT!

so my question to all you people who have experienced SUV's and Sedans in similar range is... will XUV 500 be a better bet compared to Top end Honda City AT or the Altis/Laura/cruze in terms of comfort and driving stress?

i hope this is not going too much OT but i need some opinions. Thanks.

Let's just say XUV drives like Innova since you expect it to drive like a car. The answer will be different depending on whether you are driving or riding and depending on the roads you travel. No matter whether you are riding in a SUV or a car, I feel the driver is the most important factor. A bad driver can make your journey terrible in an expensive car and a good driver can make your journey stress free in an ordinary car. So, let's also assume we have equivalent cars and equivalent drivers before we evaluate!

I traveled a lot in Leh's bad roads this summer in an Innova sitting in the middle seat. I felt completely relaxed and comfortable during the entire journey, which was more than 25 hours in total. If I were to do it again I think I will travel in an Innova instead of a Civic, purely because of the superior visibility, the 'spacious room' like feeling inside the cabin, get in/out easily for the frequent photo shoots and I could comfortably reach the things in the boot during the travel. Note that this journey was all about careful driving in the hills, looking around and NOT about high speed stability and cornering.

However, if I am in the driver seat and roads are not terrible, I would prefer my Civic any day than an Innova or an equivalent SUV for that matter. The high speed stability, handling, cornering, pick-up, negligible NVH levels and lighter controls are unbeatable. In a winding ghat section with good roads, an automatic car that is powerful enough is simply unbeatable to drive by a long margin if stress/fatigue are the criteria.

If it is driving inside the city, the auto box helps a lot to reduce the stress/fatigue. In a truly open highway I feel there is no significant difference between auto and manual. In an auto box, the engine deceleration when you release the gas pedal is just not there and you have to use your brake every time - it's not a pleasure. I could even make a case for manual being less stressful to drive.

Here is the summary:
As a driver (except in terrible roads): Car.
Inside City : Auto Box small car.
As a passenger : SUVs are better in some cases and cars in other cases.


My suggestion is first honestly assess what you will do with your vehicle 80% of the times. And then think about a back up plan for the remaining 20% of times. You should be able to choose one without too much trouble. Also look at GTO's thread for SUV vs Car debate. He has addressed the subject comprehensively. Best wishes for your purchase.

My two cents of long driving experience in the cars I have owned. I do a 3-4k km trip couple of times a year and have been lucky to use different cars over time :

A.Uno : the longest I did in a Fiat uno was about 820 kms over 20 hours and it was very very tiring.

B. Baleno : Longest trip was 750 kms in a day. Tiring but not unduly so.

C. Santro : Longest trip was 750 kms in a day and pretty tiring also because Santro finds it diffocult to go beyound 110 kmph in a stable manner and the poor body control on uneven roads causes great fatigue.

D. Innova : Longest I did was 1250 kms over a day and it was tiring but then 1250 is not a small distance. Have routinely done 800 km+ distances and the vehicle is extremely fatigue free to drive. The upright driving position, the long distance visibility as you are perched high, excellent high speed stability and body control, and the feeling of sitting inside a room - all contribute to the lack of fatigue. Between my Baleno and the Innova, I prefer the Innova over long distances it is definitely less fatigue inducing. Would still take the Baleno if the road is very twisty and I need to get there in a rush.

I guess the sedans are better than the SUV's when you have good roads. but frankly speaking even in mumbai the roads are so bad sometimes and full of big craters rather than potholes... specially in monsoons.. that you wish you had a big bad SUV with big fat tires.

I Would say, it all depends on the roads that we plan to drive on:

Considering the driver position alone, Say the road has a lot of twists (The western ghats for example), then it would be the sedan or a low profile car for sure which will be the most comfortable (Imagine sitting in the New Fiesta with padded up driver seating zipping along the twists). They are easier to handle, lots of seating grip and the lower seating position would mean very little body movement, and if you enjoy the drive, no beating the sedans.

However, if the roads turn bad, (Say the Shiradi ghats), then its the SUV that will come a clear winner. A fortuner to drive in the Shiradi ghats is like playtime, while a Honda City would be terrible.

And if involves straight roads, then the AC and the seating position come into picture and not the height of the car.

My 2 cents…

I have driven Scorpio for about 7 years now & I find it more comfortable for the passengers than the driver.

On the other hand when I drive my Octy I find it comfy for both the driver & the passengers…But again there is better Visibility of the road when driving an SUV which causes less visual fatigue

Feel that three factors play in the hands of SUV driver.

1) Less Stress from other vehicle on the road, - They avoid you and even buses and trucks don't ignore your presence. Hence less stress.

2) You have better visibility and especially in rains and at night the glare of on coming vehicle does not hit that hard. It is easlier to see the road and ofcourse in flooded conditions less stressful.

3) The back is supported better as one sits more errect and the tyres being thicker absorb the bumps better. - That is compared to similar priced similar segment cars, not a Scorpio with a merc sedan.

Here we have to analize the factors which contribute to fatigue.In some cars we strain ourself without even noticing the same.Some examples are-1.Low visiblity-straining our neck to get that additional view.2.Less torquey vehicle-frequent changes of gears.Each time a gear is shifted to a lower gear and then back to the old gear we have to press the clutch 2 times.3.Seat height-If the seats are lower then thighs and back strain is more than predictable.4.Non A/C variant-windows will be roled down which means huge water loss from body due to the stream of air rushing in.5.Non availablity of climate control-This is very important as many of us are not aware of the oxygen loss in a car cabin loaded with 4 people for a streach of 45min to 1 hr.Such cars have to be set to outside air circulation every 30 min or 45min for atleast 5-10 mins.
People can add to it....

Well said my comments in bold inline.

A very sensible choice I must say.

The XUV or any other SUV/Crossover does not and cannot as comfortably as an up market sedan. The roads you have mentioned are easily handled and best handled by a high torque diesel automatic sedan like the one you had chosen in the first place.

No. The Laura and the Cruze will anyday beat the the XUV when it comes to driving pleasure, comfort and feel on the kind of terrain you have mentioned. I have driven the XUV pretty extensively and can confidently say, it is not and doesn't feel anywhere close to these upmarket diesel auto sedans you have mentioned.

Bigger the size lesser will be the impact . Whatever theories propounded that alone is rationale .

Guys, drive an automatic SUV :D
The answer to the question (topic of this thread) will only become obvious.

I used to drive a Swift P on routine 750+ long (one way) highway trips before my current ride (Ford Endy AT). The one KEY difference I felt was that there was no DESPERATION to reach the destination towards the fag ends of the journey. I just felt I could go on some more.

And within the city, an AT SUV just makes you smile. But only after you learn to drive defensive and keep a watch on some idiots who get too close to your ride.

Never???

For a 1000 km drive, fatigue is more a function of overall fitness and how much rest you had beforehand than on what fancy features your seat has.

I don't know about you, but in my many long drives, fatigue level was dependent on two things, irrespective of the vehicles I drove (Indica, SX4, Fortuner):

1. Fitness, shoulder mobility (due to exercise, stretching etc.) and the rest/sleep that I had before the long drive

2. How excited I was about the destination or roadtrip

@ magikrider: For Mumbai-Thane/Panvel, why do you need a SUV? Now if you were to do Bhimashankar after the rainy season, I could understand :-)

Very relevant points.

Personally i feel craning of neck to have a good view of road ahead alone fatigues the driver more than anything else.

SUVs can drive through potholed roads without worrying much, Whereas sedans/hatches will slow down to a lower gear which gives the driver mental fatigue (I experience that)

SUVs have right of way because of its size. The autowallah/crazy biker will not cut across into an SUV as much as he would into a sedan/hatch. Therefore lesser disturbances.

On Indian roads, i feel SUVs are better if you can afford the initial investment & running costs.

If the usage is only on 4 laned well paved roads then there is not much difference experienced.